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Ballroom dance lessons prep teens for 'classic' prom

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After a school day spent studying literature, Latin and physics, students at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy gathered this week to master something else that's difficult — the cha-cha.

For one charter school's special evening, dirty dancing is out while waltzing rules.

Brenna Gale, left, Diego Correa, and Zain Mahmud practice ballroom dancing at Scottsdale Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. on April 8. Seniors at the charter school must take ballroom dance lessons to participate in prom.(Photo: Michael Schennum, The Arizona Republic)

Forward and backward they moved, toward their partners, who were clad in khaki pants, and then stepped away.

The lessons are part of the Scottsdale charter school's preparation for prom, a formal event that's more "Top Hat" than "Dirty Dancing." A strict dress code prohibits short or low-cut dresses for girls and requires tuxedos for boys.

All the high schools in the Great Hearts charter network provide ballroom-dance lessons before their classic proms.

"It goes to the fact that we don't (teach) popular culture at the schools. We talk about high-minded art," said Dan Scoggin, founder and CEO of the network.

It was his idea to provide the lessons as part of a curriculum that stresses classical literature and the Socratic method.

"Instead of the nightclub dances that many high-school proms have become, we'd rather do something that's noble and have students actually learn how to dance," Scoggin said.

Every Monday for an hour, about two dozen Scottsdale Prep sophomores, juniors and seniors have been meeting with Cecilia Mendoza, a dance instructor with the Academy of Ballroom Dance in Phoenix.

"The young people are ready learners," she said, but the lessons embody a message they don't always hear: "We tell the guys, 'You're driving the car,' and ladies, 'You have to let them.' "

Methodically, Mendoza counts out the steps — "rock step, cha-cha-cha" — as the teenagers look down at their practicing feet.

Then, she adds the arms.

"Lift her arm slowly — don't whip it around," she warns the boys.

Then she flicks on the music and the teens lurch about with their partners, shuffling at first and then quickly gaining grace.

Soon, some are dancing fluidly, flipping hair during a spin and adding an insouciant hip wiggle.

The lessons can be awkward at first, but eventually the students enjoy them.

"It's really an equalizer because nobody feels comfortable doing it," said Cecina Babich Morrow, 16, a junior and chairman of Scottsdale Prep's prom committee. She's participated in the lessons the last two years.

"And usually you're dancing with someone who you're not necessarily going to prom with, so by the end you really feel like you know each other better."

The free sessions aren't mandatory, but they're highly recommended because every school does a choreographed dance at its prom.

The theme of Scottsdale Prep's prom, set for later this month, is "The Great Gatsby."

Victoria Woner, 18, a senior, said she loves the idea of a classic prom.

"The old-fashioned music gives it a nice and classic feel and really makes the prom seem special," she said.